Ballpoint Pen

A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument which features a tip that is
automatically refreshed with ink. It consists of a precisely formed metal
ball seated in a socket below a reservoir of ink. As the pen is moved
along a writing surface, ink is delivered. Even though ballpoint pens were
first patented in the late nineteenth century, they only started to reach
commercial significance in the early 1950s. Now, ballpoint pens dominate
the writing instrument market, selling over one hundred million pens each
year worldwide.

History

While the idea of a ballpoint pen had been around for many years, it took
three different inventors and almost 60 years to develop this modern
writing instrument. The first patent for this invention was issued on
October 30, 1888, to a man named John J. Loud. His ballpoint pen consisted
of a tiny rotating ball bearing that was constantly coated with ink by a
reservoir above it. While this invention worked, it was not well suited
for paper because it leaked and caused smearing. Two other inventors,
Ladislas Biro and his brother Georg, improved on Loud's invention
and patented their own version, which became the first commercially
significant ballpoint pen. These pens still leaked, but not as badly. They
became popular worldwide, reaching the height of sales in 1944. The next
year another inventor, Baron Marcel Bich, finally solved the leakage
problem and began manufacturing Bic pens in Paris. Over the years, many
improvements have been made in the technology and quality of the various
parts of the pen, such as the ink, the ball, the reservoir, and the body.

Background

The ballpoint pen was developed as a solution to the problems related to
writing with a fountain pen. Fountain pens require the user to constantly
refresh the pen by dipping its tip in ink. This is not necessary with a
ballpoint pen because it is designed with its own ink reservoir, which
uses capillary action to keep the ink from leaking out. At the tip of the
pen is a freely rotating ball seated in a socket. Only part of this ball
is exposed; the rest of it is on the inside of the pen and is constantly
being bathed by ink from the reservoir. Pressing the tip of the pen on the
writing surface causes the ball to roll. This rolling action then
transfers ink from the inside of the pen to the writing surface.

While different designs of ballpoint pens are available, many of the
components are the same. Common components include a ball, a point, ink,
an ink reservoir or cartridge, and an outer housing. Some pens are topped
with a cap to prevent it from leaking or having its point damaged. Other
pens use a retractable point system for the same reason. Here a small
spring is attached to the outside of the ink reservoir, and when a button
is pushed, the point is either exposed or retracted. Still other varieties
of ballpoint pens have multiple ink cartridges, making it possible to
write in different colors using one pen. Other pens have refillable ink
cartridges. One type of pen has a pressurized cartridge that enables the
user to write underwater, over grease, and in space.

Raw Materials

A variety of raw materials are used for making the components of a
ballpoint pen,
including metals, plastics, and other chemicals. When ballpoint pens were
first developed, an ordinary steel ball was used. That ball has since been
replaced by a textured tungsten carbide ball. This material is superior
because it is particularly resistant to deforming. The ball is designed to
be a perfect sphere that can literally grip most any writing surface. Its
surface is actually composed of over 50,000 polished surfaces and pits.
The pits are connected by a series of channels that are continuous
throughout the entire sphere. This design allows the ink to be present on
both the surface and interior of the ball.

The points of most ballpoint pens are made out of brass, which is an alloy
of copper and zinc. This material is used because of its strength,
resistance to corrosion, appealing appearance, and ability to be easily
formed. Other parts, like the ink cartridge, the body, or the spring can
also be made with brass. Aluminum is also used in some cases to make the
pen body, and stainless steel can be used to make pen components. Precious
metals such as gold, silver, or platinum are plated onto more expensive
pens.

The ink can be specially made by the pen manufacturer. To be useful in a
ballpoint pen, the ink must be slightly thick, slow drying in the
reservoir, and free of particles. These characteristics ensure that the
ink continues to flow to the paper without clogging the ball. When the ink
is on the paper, rapid drying occurs via penetration and some evaporation.
In an ink formulation, various pigments and dyes are used to provide the
color. Other materials, such as lubricants, surfactants, thickeners, and
preservatives, are also incorporated. These ingredients are typically
dispersed in materials such as oleic acid, castor oil, or a sulfonamide
plasticizer.

A 1963 plastic and metal ballpoint pen commemorating the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Jr.

(From the collections of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield
Village.)

Until the advent of the computer, humans have scrambled to find writing
instruments to record story and song. The earliest scribbles were made
with a burnt stick in sand. By the fourth century
B.C.
, the Sumerians used wedge-shaped reed pens to cut pictorial shapes into
clay tablets. Eygptians painted hieroglyphics with brushes made from
marsh reeds and the ancient Chinese wrote with brushes of stiff hair.
Ancient Greeks and Romans sharpened stiff reeds to a point, resulting in
chirography that was taut and precise.

The quill pen, made from goose or swan feathers, was favored by writers
for over 1,000 years. The soft quill was honed to a point, split at the
tip to permit ink to flow freely, and constantly resharpened. A
monumental improvement over the quill pen was Joseph Gillott's
invention of the steel pen nib in the late nineteenth century, which
required no sharpening and could be separated from the pen body and
changed as needed. Still, the writer constantly dipped pen into ink,
hoping to avoid drips.

Fountain pens store ink inside a reservoir within the pen, the nib thus
supplied with a constant stream of ink. Alonzo Cross featured a
"stylographic pen" with an ink-depositing needle point in the late
1860s, but blots and smears were still common. However, the ballpoint
pen virtually eradicated messes. Ballpoint pens manufactured early in
the century leaked, skipped, and dropped ink until 1950, when a new ink
was developed that made the ballpoint reliable.

Nancy EV Bryk

Plastics have become an important raw material in ballpoint pen
manufacture. They have the advantage of being easily formed, lightweight,
corrosion resistant, and inexpensive. They are primarily used to form the
body of the pen, but are also used to make the ink cartridge, the push
button, the cap, and part of the tip. Different kinds of plastics are
used, based on their physical characteristics. Thermosetting plastics,
like phenolic resins, which remain permanently hard after being formed and
cooled, are typically used in constructing the body, cap, and other
pieces. Thermoplastic materials remain flexible. These include materials
like high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and

vinyl resins, which can be used to make most of the pen components.

The Manufacturing
Process

Ballpoint pens are made to order in mass quantities. While each
manufacturer makes them slightly differently, the basic steps include ink
compounding, metal component formation, plastic component molding, piece
assembly, packaging, labeling, and shipping. In advanced shops, pens can
go from raw material to finished product in less than five minutes.

Making the ink

1 Large batches of ink are made in a designated area of the
manufacturing plant. Here workers, known as compounders, follow formula
instructions to make batches of ink. Raw materials are poured into the
batch tank and thoroughly mixed. Depending on the formula, these batches
can be heated and cooled as necessary to help the raw materials combine
more quickly. Some of the larger quantity raw materials are pumped and
metered directly into the batch tank. These materials are added simply
by pressing a button on computerized controls. These controls also
regulate the mixing speeds and the heating and cooling rates. Quality
control checks are made during different points of ink batching.

Stamping and forming

2 While the ink is being made, the metal components of the pen are being
constructed. The tungsten carbide balls are typically supplied by
outside vendors. Other parts of the pen, such as the point and the body,
are made using various molds. First, bands of brass are automatically
inserted into stamping machines, which cut out thousands of small discs.
The brass discs are next softened and poured into a compression chamber,
which consists of a steel ram and a spring-backed ejector plunger. The
steel ram presses on the metal, causing the plunger to retract and
forcing the metal into a die cast mold. This compresses the metal and
forms the various pen pieces. When the ram and plunger return to their
original positions, the excess metal is then scraped off and recycled.
The die is then opened, and the pen piece is ejected.

3 The formed pieces are then cleaned and cut. They are immersed in a
bath to remove oils used in the molding process. After they emerge from
the bath, the parts are then cut to the dimensions of the specific pen.
The pen pieces are next polished by rotating brushes and cleaned again
to remove any residual oils. The ball can then be inserted into the
point cavity.

Molding the housing

4 The plastic components of the pen are constructed simultaneously with
the

other pen pieces. They can be produced by either extrusion or injection
molding. In each approach, the plastic is supplied as granules or powder
and is fed into a large hopper. The extrusion process involves a large
spiral screw, which forces the material through a heated chamber, making
it a thick, flowing mass. It is then forced through a die, cooled, and
cut. Pieces such as the pen body and ink reservoir are made by this
method.

5 For pieces that have more complex shapes, like caps, ends, and
mechanical components, injection molding is used. In this process the
plastic is heated, converting it into a liquid that can then be forcibly
injected into a mold. After it cools, it solidifies and maintains its
shape after the die is opened.

Ink filling and assembly

6 After the components are formed, assembly can take place. Typically,
the ballpoint is first attached to the ink reservoir. These pieces are
then conveyored to
injectors, which fill the reservoir with the appropriately colored ink.
If a spring is going to be present, it is then placed on the barrel of
the reservoir.

Final assembly, packaging, and shipping

7 The point and reservoir are then placed inside the main body of the
pen. At this stage, other components such as the cap and ends are
incorporated. Other finishing steps, such as adding coatings or
decorations or performing a final cleaning, are also done. The finished
pens are then packaged according to how they will be sold. Single pens
can be put into blister packages with cardboard backings. Groups of pens
are packed into bags or boxes. These sales units are then put into
boxes, stacked on pallets, and shipped to distributors.

Quality Control

The quality of pen components is checked during all manufacturing stages.
Since thousands of parts are made each day, inspecting each one is
impossible. Consequently, line inspectors take random samples of pen
pieces at certain time intervals and check to ensure that they meet set
specifications for size, shape, and consistency. The primary testing
method is visual inspection, although more rigorous measurements are also
made. Various types of measuring equipment are available. Length
measurements are made with a vernier caliper, a micrometer, or a
microscope. Each of these differ in accuracy and application. To test the
condition of surface coatings, an optical flat or surface gauge may be
used.

Like the solid pieces of the pens, quality tests are also performed on the
liquid batches of ink. After all the ingredients are added to the batch, a
sample is taken to the Quality Control (QC) laboratory for testing.
Physical characteristics are checked to make sure the batch adheres to the
specifications outlined in the formula instructions. The QC group runs
tests such as pH determination, viscosity checks, and appearance
evaluations. If the batch is found to be "out of spec,"
adjustments can be made. For instance, colors can be adjusted by adding
more dye.

In addition to these specific tests, line inspectors are also posted at
each phase of manufacture. They visually inspect the components as they
are made and check for things such as inadequately filled ink reservoirs,
deformed pens, and incorrectly assembled parts. Random samples of the
final product are also tested to ensure a batch of pens writes correctly.

The Future

Ballpoint pen technology has improved greatly since the time of
Loud's first patented invention. Future research will focus on
developing new inks and better designed pens that are more comfortable and
longer lasting. Additionally, manufacturers will strive to produce higher
quality products at the lowest possible cost. One trend that will continue
will be the development of materials and processes which use metals and
plastics that have undergone a minimum of processing from their normal
state. This should minimize waste, increase production speed, and reduce
the final cost of the pens.

You arent' saying who the pens and the machines, and the ink is and what they do. And how many corporations they are involved in. Like they are my pen, my phone, have my head wired and leave ee next to microphones with blindfolds. They are the keys to my files and they steal what I write. I think they are the pens because they spy on me and all the pen users because they wish they were the writers we are. I have been plagiarized by people who were in pens, housing, phones, school furniture and buildings since the first grade. I found out that I either dated or lived with or knew everyone in the pens practically. They all had me's with them and had criminal careers following and copying me and my words down and taking credit for them. The people in the pen companies are also beheading me's. They also steal brain and bodily tissue and act out my fantasy lives in front of the camera with body parts from me and the lady who raised me. Then the people in the pen are drugs and they call it all ill then try to kidnap and drug you until you're dead. I think your machines were made out of the tough guy with the gun in Catwoman movie, which I wanted them to make but it plagiarized me and me and the person I lived with were turned into buildings for the movie.